Sliding door assembly



C. N. ODEN SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLY July 7,v 1959 Filed on. 14. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR a 20 Cll'ffara /v. Ode/1 ATTORNEY July 7,1959 c. N. ODEN 2,893,071

sunmc DOOR ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1957 fl I H 7 T? 60 6 66 6'0 IN VENTOR YWW ATTORNEY atent @ftice 2,893,071 Patented July 7, 1959 SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLY Clifford N. Oden, Belmont, Calif., assignor to Gustave Miller, Washington, D.C.

Application October 14,1957, Serial No. 689,883

Claims. (Cl. 20-19) This invention relates to sliding doors, and it particularly relates to sliding doors which are in flush arrangement when closed.

Sliding doors or panels are coming into ever increasing use in modern housing because they do not require a clear area in front of the door to accommodate the swingtype door. For this reason they are becoming increasingly used for closets since they do not take up any useful room either within the closet or in the area in front of it. However, heretofore, most sliding door assemblies included two or more panels slidable on separate tracks, with the tracks offset from each other so that one panel can slide behind the other when opened. This type of arrangement, although generally favorable, necessitates a break or offset between each panel, when the doors are in closed position. This appearance would be greatly improved if the slidable panels could be positioned in edgeto-edge abutment in flush arrangement, when the doors are closed.

The above disadvantages have been long recognized but no adequate way has, heretofore, been found to provide the desired flush arrangement although many attempts have been made. Generally, however, these prior attempts have resulted in assemblies so complex and difficult to install and maintain that their commercial significance was nil. On the other hand, where the assemblies were attempted to be made simple, they did not function effectively and were easily broken or dislocated.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a sliding door assembly which permits a flush arrangement of the door panels when in closed position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sliding door assembly which is relatively simple in construction and which is easy to install, maintain and use.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved sliding door assembly, of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which is highly eflicient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective'view of a sliding door assembly embodying the present invention, the door panels being shownin closed position, and parts being broken away to disclose rearwardly-positioned elements.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the assembly of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the assembly of Figfllf Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, somewhat diagrammatic view showing the alignment of the tracks when the door is to {be opened.

in similar reference characters refer to similar parts, there is shown a pair of track members 10 arranged in end-toend alignment. Each track member 10 comprises an upper plate 12, a front plate 14 and a rear plate 16. The front plate 14 has a rearwardly-extending lateral flange 18 at its lower end and, at its free edge, the flange 18 has a low, upstanding rim 20. The rear plate 16 is similarly provided with a rearwardly-extending lateral flange 22 at its lower end, and this flange 22 has a low rirn 24 along its free edge. The flanges 18 and 22 with their corresponding rims 20 and 24 form guide channels as will hereinafter be more fully described.

The track members 10 are each supported by posts or hanger members 26 integrally connected to the top plates 12. The posts or hangers 26 are each provided, at their upper ends, with rollers 28 which move in channels 30 provided on transverse track members 32. These transverse track members 32 each comprise top plates 34 and rear plates 36. The top plates 34 have holes 38 through which are adapted to extend wood screws 40 for connecting the transverse track members 32 to the top frame member 42 of a door frame 44. The entire transverse track member 32 is positioned behind the front frame member 46 of the door frame 44.

The posts 26 and rollers 28 attached thereto are resiliently biased forwardly toward the front frame member 46 by coil springs 48 positioned around pins 50. Each pin 50 extends between a post 26 and the corresponding rear plate 36 and the spring 48 is compressed between the post and the rear plate, as best shown in Fig. 4.

In order to adjustably align the track members 10, each plate 36 of each transverse track member 32 is provided with an opening at the lower end of one side. Through this opening extends an adjusting screw 52 with a pair of nuts 54 thereon, one nut being arranged on each side of the opening in the rear plate 36. By adjusting the nuts 54 relative to the screw 52, a bending torque is applied on the rear plate 36, preferably constructed of sheet metal.

The track members 10 are also positioned behind the front frame member 46, as best shown in Fig. 4, and each track member 10 supports a door panel 56 for movement relative thereto. Each door panel 56 is provided at its upper edge with a pair of brackets or hangers 53, one adjacent each end. These brackets or hangers 58 are pro-vided with base plates 60 positioned in re cesses in the upper edge of the door panel and held therein by screws 62. Each bracket 58 supports a roller 64 at its upper end, and these rollers 64 move within the front channels formed by the flanges 18 and rims 20 on the respective track members 10.

Adjacent the inner end of each track member 10, the front plate 14 is provided with a hole 66. Through each of these holes 66 projects a stop pin 68 connected to the inner surface of the front frame member 46. These door stop pins 68 limit the movement of the door panels 56 toward each other while the track members 10 are in end-to-end alignment. However, if one of the track members 10 is pushed back, against the force of the springs 48 so that the front channel portion thereof is in alignment with the rear channel portion of the other track member, as in Fig. 5, then the front plate 14 of the first track member. is clear of the corresponding stop pin 68, and the rollers 64 thereon are permitted to move onto the rear channel member of the other track member. The movement of such rollers from one track member to the other is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5. In this manner, the door panels, which are flush with each other in closed position, are caused to open by having one move behind the other. This opening movement can, of course, be accomplished in either direction.

In order to maintain the offset positions of the two track members 10 (as in Fig. while the opening movement takes place and while the doors are in open position, a latch mechanism 70 is provided. This latch mechanism 70, one of which is provided on the front, inner end of each track member 10, comprises a housing 72, as best seen in Fig. 6, within which is slidably positioned a tongue member 74 having a beveled edge 76. The front end of the housing 72 is open and the tongue member 74 is resiliently biased out of this open end by a coil spring 78 within the housing 72. The spring 78 is wound around a rod 80 connected at one end to the inner end of the tongue member 74 and projecting out an opening in the rear end of the housing 72.

A pin 82 is connected to the side of the tongue member 74 and extends laterally therefrom through a slot in the side of the housing 72. This pin 82 is adapted to be contacted by an upstanding arm 84 on the inner bracket 58 on each door panel 56. This arm 84 frictionally engages the pin 82 to hold the tongue member 74 in retracted position against the force of the spring 78. However, when the door panel together with its corresponding track member is pushed back so that the corresponding stop pin 68 is cleared, and the door panel is then moved over to the other track member 10, the arm 84 is moved away from the pin 82 and the spring 78 acts to move the tongue member 74 outwardly and into the rear channel of the other track member, as shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the latch member 70 holds the two track members 10 against movement back to their normal end-to-end aligned position. When the doors are moved back to normal closed position, the 84 le-engages the pin 82 and forces the latch tongue member 74 back into its retracted position to permit closing of the doors.

In order to prevent the door panels 56 from rolling off the outer ends of the track members '10 when moved to closed position, a pair of limit stops are provided, one at the 'outer end of each track member 10. These limit stops each comprises a catch finger 86 pivoted on a pin 88 one end of which is mounted in a hole 90 in the front plate 14 of the track member 10 and the other end of which is mounted in a similar hole in the rear plate 16. A torsion spring 92 is positioned on the pin 88 and is connected to the finger 86 in such a manner as to bias the lower end of the finger against the outer edge of the door panel. The upper end of the finger 86 is provided with a hook portion 94 which is engaged with a slot 96 in 'a plate 98 when the finger 86 is in its normally biased position. The plate 98 has a hole 100 through which is adapted to extend a screw or the like for fastening the plate '98 to the door frame. A notch 102 is provided at the end of the upper plate 12 of the track member 10 to accommodate the finger hook portion 94 when the finger 86 itself is engaged by the door panel 56. The end of the notch 102 also acts as a stop to engage the fingers hook portion 94 and prevent further outward movement of the door panel.

In order to prevent either door panel 56 from being pushed too 'far back when being opened, there is provided, behind the door panels, a bumper mechanism 104. This bumper mechanism 104 is illustrated in Fig. 1 and comprises a base plate 106 secured to the floor by screws or the like 108. Extending upwardly from the base plate 106 are a pair of oppositely-disposed posts 110 and a 'back plate 112 therebetween. Extending forwardly from the back .plate 112 is a pin 114 having a bumper bar '116on its front end. The pin 114 ex- :tends through an opening in the back plate 112 and is slidable thereth'rough. A coil spring 118 surrounds the pm 114 and abuts, at one end, against the bumper bar 116 and, at the other end, against the back plate 112 whereby it acts to resiliently urge the bumper bar 116 forwardly against the door panels. On either side of the pin 114, the bumper bar 116 is provided with eyelets 120 encircling the upper ends of the posts 110, whereby the posts support the bumper bar 116 at each end for forward and rearward slidable movement. The bumper bar 116 spans the inner edge portions of both door panels equally.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative, rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination, a door frame having an upper frame member, side frame members and a front frame member, at least two elongated track members supported from the upper frame member by means of individual transverse track members, each transverse track member comprising a top plate secured to said upper frame member, and a track channel dependent from said top plate, each elongated track member having at least one hanger member extending upwardly therefrom, each hanger member having a roller movably positioned in the track channel of a corresponding transverse track member, spring means connected to said transverse track members and urging said elongated track members into a forward, flush, end-to-end alignment, each elongated track member "having a front and rear track thereon, said front and rear tracks of each elongated track member being in end-to-end alignment with the corresponding front and rear tracks of the other elongated track member when said elongated track members are in said flush alignment and the front track of one elongated track member being in end-to-end alignment with the rear track of the other elongated track member when said one elongated track member is pushed back transversely into a predetermined rearward position, and a fixed stop means projecting from the front frame member into the path of the rollers on the front track of each elongated track member when said elongated track member is in its forward position, said elongated track member being clear of said stop means when in said predetermined rearward position, and a door panel supported by the rollers movable in the tracks of said elongated track members.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein a resilient bumper means is positioned rearwardly of each door panel.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein an adjusting screw means is provided on each-elongated track member to adjust the relative alignment thereof.

-4. The combination of claim 1 wherein a normally extended latch means is provided on the inner end of the front track of each elongated track member, said latch means being adapted to extend into an overlapping position relative to the other track member when said latch means is in its extended position, and trip means connected to each door panel, said trip meansacting'to retain said latch means in retracted position while the door panel is held on the corresponding elongated track member.

.5. The combination of claim 1 wherein a catch finger is :pivotally mounted at the outer end of each front track, :said finger being resiliently urged around its pivot toward the outer edge of the corresponding door panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,778,051 Menz Jan. .22, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 737,340 France Oct. 3, '1932 

